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Reflector Book Review:
Hubble: A New Window to
the Universe
Category: Instrumentation
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Hubble: A New Window to the Universe.
Daniel Fischer and Hilmar Duerbeck
Springer-Verlag, 1996
ISBN 0-387-94672-1
(11.5 x 10 in.), 175 pgs. hard cover, acid free, $35.00.
If you have ever wanted to see a great
many of the spectacular Hubble based astrophotographs
bound together in a single volume, this book may be
for you. A compilation of the Hubble Space Telescope's
images, this book also presents the story of the HST's
developmental history, the implications of Hubble's
imagery, and insight into its operational working. All
of this makes Hubble: A New Window to the Universe
an interesting read.
Part one quickly covers astronomy
from the earliest times to the desire for an instrument
placed outside of Earth's distorting atmosphere. Interesting
insights are provided on the space telescope's development
and eventual orbital placement. The various components
that make up the science package are discussed, as well
as the scandal of the defective mirror.
Hubble's difficult years come to an
end with the "servicing mission", as NASA preferred
to call it, not "repair" or "rescue mission". The almost
heroic efforts of the space shuttle Endeavor's
astronauts are described, although only too briefly.
However, the repairs are documented with "before" and
"after" after photographs taken by the Wide-Field Planetary
Camera.
Part Two addresses the great questions
that HST hopes to shed new light upon: the scale and
age of the universe, galaxy evolution, the quasar puzzle,
the life and death of stars, and, of course, the history
of our own solar system.
Part Three looks into the intricacies
of Hubble operations and takes a peek into Hubble's
future.
Part Four is an appendix that gives
the reader a list of books on related fields, and also
provides information on how to find Hubble topics on
the World Wide Web. This part concludes with an index.
Throughout the book, shaded side bars examine various
subjects in more detail.
As fascinating as the text may be,
the images are the book's main attraction, and are reproduced
on a slick paper that maintains their detail and color.
Especially clever is the use of the dust jacket to reproduce
the latest photos of the star-forming regions of the
Eagle Nebula. Hubble photographed these fascinating
stellar nurseries after the book was already bring printed.
I do not think you can go wrong by
adding Hubble: A New Window to the Universe to
your astronomical library.
Paul Castle
Astronomical League Book Service
Reviewed in the August 1996 issue.
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